Loyalty
by Cody'sxFavoritexGirl
Summary: When Ted DiBiase tries to run to his leader Randy Orton's aid, Cody Rhodes stops him with a dark proposition. Will Ted choose power or loyalty? Legacy one-shot. Please R&R.


**A/N: I own nothing, so don't sue. This is based around Monday's RAW episode where Brock Lesnar broke Shawn Michaels' arm while Triple H was helpless to stop him. PunknOrtonlover owns Haley. Please review. Enjoy. **

**Loyalty**

Randy Orton's harsh scream of pain cut through the arena, and every fan in attendance was riveted to what was happening inside the ring. In between the ropes, Alberto Del Rio had Randy in the cross-armbreaker, his patented submission maneuver. Normally that would be fine, but in this case the match had already ended, and a very pissed-off Del Rio had decided to inflict as much pain as possible on his opponent. Alberto Del Rio did not like to lose, and he was determined to show Randy what happened to people who foolishly defeated him.

Randy's teeth were grinding together so hard that he was sure he heard the bones in his jaw crack. The pain coming from his fragile shoulder was unbearable. It felt like his whole arm was on fire, and he just wanted it to stop. He screamed again, not caring whether he broke character or not. None of that mattered now. The only thing that did was the fact that his arm felt as though it was being torn out of its socket. Where the fuck was help? Didn't anybody care?

As a matter of fact, someone did care. Ted DiBiase, Randy's fellow member of Legacy, was going berserk backstage. He sprinted through the many hallways, shoving people out of his way and yelling, "Move it! Move, goddammit!" He had to get to Randy, and these people were slowing him down.

Just as he reached the gorilla position and was about to run out onto the stage, a hand seized his arm. He went to shake it angrily off, but a familiar voice said in his ear: "Ted, wait."

Ted whipped around, simultaneously relieved and angry. "Cody! Where the hell were you? Randy needs our help, we have to go!"

Cody's ice-blue eyes glowed in the darkness, and Ted couldn't help but think that Cody looked a bit cold in that moment, as if he was oblivious to the pained screams that were coming from just beyond the curtain.

"Why should we?" Cody asked so quietly that Ted had to lean forward to hear.

"What?" Ted asked, thinking that maybe he had misheard his best friend.

"We should we help him?" Cody repeated, his eyes narrowing. "Do you think he would've helped us? No, he would've left us to get out of it on our own."

"You can't be serious." Ted said, gaping at his fellow Legacy member in astonishment. "It doesn't matter if he would save us or not, Del Rio's got his bad arm in the cross-armbreaker! He could injure Randy's shoulder again!"

Cody turned his head to look at one of the monitors. It showed a close-up of Randy's pained face, an unusual look of fear in the Viper's steely-blue gaze. It was obvious that Randy knew just like everyone else that another shoulder injury could end his career. Cody licked his lips, and Ted got the sick feeling that he was enjoying seeing their leader afraid and vulnerable.

"And would that be a bad thing?" Cody murmured almost to himself, his eyes still fixed on the screen. "He would be out of our way then. You and I, we could take over this company. And he wouldn't be around to stop us."

"Cody, what are you saying?" Ted asked uneasily. He didn't like how his friend was acting. He hardly recognized this Cody. Something had changed him.

Cody glanced back at him again before returning his focus to the monitor. "You know what I'm saying, Teddy," he said. "You can either stay back here with me and we can run this place, or you can go out and save Randy. It's your choice."

Ted just stared at the younger man, stunned. He had never realized how much of a dark side that Cody had. What he was suggesting was disgusting. But the worst part was that part of Ted agreed with what Cody had said. With Randy out of the way, they really could rise to the top. They could get title shots and become legends. And that was what Ted was here for, wasn't it? To become a legend.

But on the other hand, Randy was his leader. Despite how he treated them sometimes, Ted knew that Randy had just been trying to teach them how to survive in the wrestling business. And to betray him was just wrong.

Ted was torn, standing there with Cody in the dark, but then something happened that pushed him to make his decision.

"Randy!" an agonized voice screamed from down the hall. Both Ted and Cody turned to see Randy's girlfriend, Haley, sprinting towards them. There were tears in her hazel eyes and her chest heaved. She tried to shove past them to the curtain but Ted grabbed her waist and pulled her back. She pounded on his chest with her fists, screaming, "Let go of me! Let go! I have to help him! _Let go!_"

Haley dissolved into heartbroken sobs when Ted didn't release her, and she clutched at him. "Please," she gasped, gazing up at him with tears streaming down her cheeks. "Please help him. He doesn't deserve this."

Ted could feel Cody watching him, but after seeing the despair and pain in Haley's eyes, he knew what he had to do.

"Stay with Cody," he ordered her. He handed the petite brunette off to Cody, half expecting his friend to try and stop him. But Cody only looked at him and very slightly nodded his head. And then Ted was out the curtain and gone.

The crowd roared as he raced down the ramp, for even though he was a heel, even they had found the display of torture that was happening in the ring sickening. Ted could see the relief in Randy's eyes as he drew near, and Ted knew that he had made the right decision.

Sliding into the ring, Ted kicked Del Rio sharply in the ribs. The Mexican Aristocrat jerked, finally releasing Randy, who clutched his arm to his chest and moaned in pain. Ted began stomping on Del Rio, but the other wrestler wasn't done yet. He grabbed Ted's foot and flipped him over. Suddenly, Ted found his arm in the cross-armbreaker. He began to panic as Del Rio applied pressure to his shoulder. This was not how he had envisioned the rescue.

Just when he thought that he would meet the same fate as Randy, the crowd exploded again, and Del Rio grunted. And then Ted's arm was free. He got up to his knees and was shocked to see Cody fighting Del Rio off. Deciding that he had done enough damage, Del Rio slid out of the ring and fled up the ramp, the crowd booing him the whole way.

Ted met Cody's bright gaze curiously, wondering what had changed the younger man's mind. But Cody didn't offer an explanation; instead he knelt down beside Randy and put the Legacy leader's good arm around his shoulders. Ted rushed over to help, and the two of them hoisted their injured mentor out of the ring and back up the ramp.

Once they were safely backstage, Haley came running over. She took Randy's face in her hands and pressed her forehead against his, and Randy wrapped his good arm around her. Ted and Cody stood back a little ways, wanting to give the couple some privacy.

"So what made you change your mind?" Ted asked Cody in a low voice.

Cody turned his blue gaze on him. "Nothing changed my mind. I decided that what you had done was the right thing to do, so I helped you. I had forgotten the true meaning of loyalty; power clouded my thoughts and made me weak. I'll never let that happen again."

Ted digested this and then he nodded, accepting his friend's explanation. "Do you think he'll be okay?" he asked, looking back at where Randy and Haley stood.

"I think so," Cody answered. He glanced back at Ted again.

"Thanks to you."

**END**


End file.
